Why blackouts are killing patients in Nigerian hospitals

Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system was once again exposed after three patients at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) in Kano died during a power outage on September 15, 2025.

Hospital spokesperson, Hauwa Dutse, confirmed the incident, explaining that four patients were on ventilators in the Intensive Care Unit when electricity supply was cut, and three of them could not survive.

The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) admitted disconnecting parts of the hospital over unpaid bills, saying AKTH owed ₦949.8 million and had been asked to settle its August bill of ₦108.9 million within 10 days. The disconnection was later reversed after the intervention of the Kano State Commissioner of Police.

Sadly, AKTH’s experience is not isolated. Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have also suffered blackouts over accumulated debts, with patients sometimes resorting to providing their own generators to keep equipment running.

The reality is grim: electricity in hospitals is not a luxury but a lifeline for incubators, ventilators, dialysis machines, and operating theatres. Yet, with Nigeria’s national grid plagued by frequent collapses and hospitals drowning in debt, lives remain at risk.

While distribution companies are within their rights to recover debts, cutting power to critical health facilities raises moral and humanitarian concerns. The dilemma underscores the need for urgent reforms in health financing and power supply.

Experts argue for sustainable solutions, including community health insurance schemes, stronger public–private partnerships, and investments in renewable energy to reduce hospitals’ dependence on the unstable grid. Greater accountability and resource management by hospital administrators are also essential.

The federal government must also act decisively. In July, the Federal Executive Council approved ₦68.7 billion for electricity projects in universities and teaching hospitals—an initiative that should be fast-tracked to prevent further tragedies.

Electricity distribution companies, on their part, should explore special tariffs for health institutions as part of their corporate social responsibility.

No Nigerian should die because a hospital cannot keep its lights on.